Did you know a humble set of four spoons helped launch one of the most iconic names in home canning?
In 1911, Alexander H. Kerr, founder of the Kerr Glass Manufacturing Company, introduced a revolutionary wide-mouth mason jar. But before that invention made its way into nearly every kitchen in America, he funded the company with the profits from—yes, really—four silver-plated spoons he used as a promotional giveaway for his first business venture.
Those spoons were part of a brilliant marketing strategy to encourage sales of his “Kerr Home Canning Book.” It worked, and that spark helped light the path to Kerr becoming a household name. Photo from Kerr Jars Healthy Canning
We know you’ll enjoy the fascinating tale of canning jars made by Kerr Glass Manufacturing Company. A little preview to get you hooked!
“From fruit jars, to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, a scandalous divorce and marriage, free teaspoons, centers to help orphans and children with developmental needs, and one of the first women executives in manufacturing – whew!”
Next time you spot a Kerr jar at a flea market or tucked in a family pantry, remember—it all started with just four spoons and a whole lot of ingenuity.
Spring is a season of renewal, and what better way to celebrate than with a beautiful Easter gathering filled with vintage charm? Over the years, we’ve styled some truly lovely spring tablescapes and seasonal vignettes, and today, we’re taking a little stroll down memory lane.
From soft pastel china to dainty glassware and whimsical bunny touches, our Easter decor pieces bring warmth, nostalgia, and timeless beauty to your celebration. Whether you’re planning a brunch, an outdoor garden party, or a sweet family dinner, these looks are full of inspiration.
We adore adding playful elements like ceramic bunnies, egg cups filled with florals and moss, and vintage postcards to our place settings and centerpieces. These charming details bring out the childlike wonder of the season—and guests always notice them!
Looking to host your own vintage-inspired spring brunch or celebration? We’d love to help you bring your vision to life with our curated collection of china, flatware, linens, and seasonal decor. Let’s make this one to remember—with timeless beauty at every place setting.
Today’s post is an update from one published in December 2015. We have only edited some of the photos and gallery designs. As I read through the post, the memories of this amazing holiday dinner came alive again. When I asked Priscilla about reposting, she wrote, it was “such a beautiful. happy memory you created having my church friends around John and I that Christmas.”
I’ve known Priscilla for well over 20 years. Our friendship began at Culbreth Middle School – she taught 6th grade science and I taught 8th grade science. We both loved to find and decorate our classrooms with all kinds of natural things – pine cones, turtle shells, skeletons, rocks, bird nests – whatever we could find or get. As kindred nature and vintage enthusiasts, our tablescape visions for her annual Christmas party were totally in sync.
When we were planning for her party, Priscilla brought out these two incredibly huge pine cones that were at least a foot long! Of course, I wanted to know what kind they were and where they came from. Well, it turns out they are sugar tree pinecones that come from a tree that grows in California. She saw them at a science convention and thought they were amazing and wanted some for her classroom. So she wrote a letter – a time before email – to a colleague who lived in California and asked him to please send her a few sugar tree pine cones so she could share them with her students. You see, Priscilla has this way about her that when she shows you something she loves, you instantly fall in love with it, too – that’s what made her such a terrific teacher. She loved science and so did her students. Shortly after the letter was mailed, a boxful of these exquisite beauties arrived at her door and were part of her classroom for many years. Who would have known that these same pinecones would be adorning her Christmas table years later and I would be helping her set the table? As you might imagine, we shared a good laugh about it all!
In addition to the many varieties of pinecones around her lovely home, she also has a wonderful collection of vintage Christmas postcards dating to the early 1900s. The artwork and the handwritten notes on the back portray a time we all love to imagine. Here are just a few. I included one photo of the handwritten message and address on the back – no zip code!
With her collection of pinecones and vintage postcards, and the vintage milk glass glassware, white linens, china and silverware from Southern Vintage Table, our table design was ready. We both knew it was going to be exceptionally special!
On the day before the party, the first table we set was in the dining room. We decided to use a vintage green tablecloth with vintage white doilies to accent the rich brown of the pinecones. The vintage postcards were scattered about for guests to enjoy. What a terrific touch to this vintage tablescape!
Our next set of tables were in the living room. Here we used crisp white vintage tablecloths and with the Christmas tree as a backdrop, the end result was just beautiful!
Desserts, punch, and teacups were ready for guests after their delicious meal. Don’t you love the bold poinsettia pattern on the vintage tablecloths?
Thank you, Priscilla, for inviting Southern Vintage Table to be a part of this special day for you, John, and your friends. Merry Christmas to all and best wishes in the new year!
Whether it’s the pretty vintage china, yummy tea and treats, or having fun with friends and family, the classic tea party is always a winner! If you are wondering why hosting a tea party is a such fabulous idea, here are 5 reasons that will convince you that your guests will love it!
~ Reason 1: Tea parties are relaxing and festive affairs. ~
Sipping tea with friends and family may be one of the most relaxing ways to celebrate a special occasion. Whether it is a bridal or baby shower, birthday celebration, mother-daughter affair, holiday gathering, or an afternoon visiting with friends, a tea party creates calming moments of elegance we all enjoy.
~ Reason 2: Teacups are exquisite, Delicate, and should be enjoyed! ~
We have many, many different patterns, colors, and styles of teacups. On display, these vintage teacups create a beautiful array which instantly launches the party atmosphere. Southern Vintage Table has more than 200 vintage teacups and we love every one of them.
~ Reason 3 – Tea serving pieces are beautiful and unique.~
Speciality tea serving pieces are fun to share with your guests. Vintage tea pots are as lovely as teacups, coming in a plethora of colors, shapes, and styles. Then there’s the classic tiered stand – it might be two tiers or three or even a tidbit tray or metal stand with individual plates – nonetheless, they display your treats in such a delightful way. There are vintage lemon dishes, curd and jam dishes, sugar and creamers, cake stands, and platters. All create a splendid sight on guest or buffet tables.
~ Reason 4: Tea party treats are yummy. ~
A typical menu for a tea party includes a wonderful mix of finger food, such as delicious bites of tea sandwiches, petit fours, fresh fruit, and, our favorite, scones with lemon curd and jam. Other menu options include soups, nuts, the classic southern cheese straws, and small cupcakes. A choice of a cold beverage is always appropriate to offer your guests such as water, champagne, or even a tea cocktail.
~ Reason 5: We can help. ~
Plan the menu, gather the flowers, and we can help with the rest. From vintage teacups to vintage lace overlays, we have the essentials and they are now listed on our updated “Tea Party Elements & Packages” page. We also are featuring two specially priced packages for you to consider as well as an ala carte listing.
So, pick a date, make your guest list, decide on your menu, and give us a call. It’s time to relax, sip tea, and enjoy the moment with friends!
For fun, check out this recent article from the UK’s Daily Mail for advice on official tea party etiquette. Personally, we love petite cupcakes with tea so we’re officially ignoring that one!
If you dig vibrant jewels and gold (and who doesn’t, right?), you are going to love these photos from Courtney and Lee’s intimate mountain wedding provided by Amaris Photography. Their design, using our vintage gold rimmed plates, goblets, silverware, and teacups created this magical celebration of their love for one another!
Courtney and Lee, we really enjoyed meeting you and helping with your wedding. Best wishes for years of love and happiness! Also, thanks for sharing these dreamy photos from Amaris Photography!
Thanksgiving 2018 for the Bass-Heath-Roberson families and friends was amazing! Fifty years ago the tradition began with our parents and grandparents who traveled far and near to share a homemade Thanksgiving feast. This time-honored ritual has become a favorite holiday celebration and we are grateful for the many memories this day has created for each of us.
Honoring our chefs, past and present, was this year’s holiday theme. Along with our beautiful white stoneware plates, green, brown, and amber goblets, multicolored napkins, and bakelite flatware, we incorporated vintage kitchen decor down the guest tables. Vintage sifters, graters, egg cups, and kitchen tools transformed into vases, filled with foraged florals, berries, moss, and greenery.
We’ll be back next year to do it all over again! Many thanks to Sandy, Rowena, and Sherry for setting the tables and designing the centerpieces. Also, we salute the Rolesville Masonic Lodge for their many good deeds and for generously allowing us to use their meeting hall for our family gathering.
Our favorite holiday is this week – Thanksgiving! For more than 50 years, the Bass/Heath/Roberson family has come together on this day to catch up with the extended family and share a traditional holiday meal with all the fixings – turkey, ham, collards, chicken & dumplings, dressing, and Sandy’s mashed potatoes, to name just a few. Just typing this makes me so hungry!
The past 5 years, Southern Vintage Table has set the tables for this special family gathering and this year our planning started with a duvet. Yep, a duvet made from a beautiful fabric that now has been transformed into 6 table runners. The rich colors will bring a gorgeous palette of oranges, greens, ambers, and blues to the tables.
To complement the runners, our next decision for the place settings was easy – our white vintage stoneware. With the color scheme of brown, amber, and green, we will be adding a mismatched set of napkins, goblets, and bakelite/stainless flatware. And, since this holiday is all about food, we’re hoping to incorporate our vintage kitchen decor on the tables. Can’t wait to see how it all works out!
Sisters Janis, Sandy, and Rowena will be on hand to help make this memorable for our families, Looking forward to seeing how these pieces create a unique, fun look for this treasured holiday!
Hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful and memorab!e, too!
We are always on the hunt for new vintage patterns to add to our collections and we’d like to introduce you to some of our newcomers! Most of them we found at local thrift stores but we also had a few gifted to us. How sweet is that? These new patterns hail from England, Austria, France, Bavaria, and the US.
The patterns above are rich with colors and we love each one of them. From the top left, the makers are Salem China from USA, Royal Bayreuth from Bavaria, Mason’s from England, and Trischenreuth, also from Bavaria.
Now, who doesn’t love vintage patterns with delicate florals? These four beauties are from several different countries. Starting at the top left, we have Knowles China from the US, Union Ceramique from France, Haviland from France, and Karlsbad from Austria.
These colorful four patterns look so nice together! The two on the right are from England, Johnson Brothers and Royal Dalton. The two on the left are from potteries in the US, Vernon Kilns and Knowles China, both of which are no longer in business.
This last set of four are a bit atypical of china patterns with their hues of brown. We love how they look together – add a brown and amber goblet to the table, and you have a terrific look! All of these ironstone patterns are from England – the top two are Mason’s, the bottom left is Johnson Brothers, and the bottom right is Staffordshire.
Mixing and matching china patterns presents a beautiful, interesting table for your guests whether it’s a wedding reception, bridal shower, a holiday meal, or a dinner party. Give us a call or send an email through our Contact page. We’d love to hear from you!
Hey all! August is here and we’ve got lots to share from our July hiatus. As mentioned in our last post, we had three goals to accomplish. First, we tackled all the paper work stuff including updating our business spreadsheets. Phew! The more difficult task, curating our collection, has begun but there’s still more to do. It’s hard to give up a vintage treasure!
Of course, finding and adding new items to our vintage collections is always fun! We now have a vintage milk glass punch bowl, some new vintage teapots and teacups, and more patterns of vintage plates. New napkins have been fashioned from thrift store fabrics and we’ve also found a few to add to our printed napkin collection.
Inside the studio, our quest for organization continues. Two additional dressers have linens in their drawers, two new lights hang overhead, and several shelves reorganized. Our favorite addition to the studio is this terrific 1950s kitchen cart that now provides much needed surface space in our work area.
It’s good to set focused goals and, even if we fell a little short, much has been accomplished this month. As a result, we’re even more ready for the busy fall wedding season ahead and have a few open 2018 dates and are scheduling clients for 2019. Send us an email from our contact page or give us a call. We’d love to help!
As this week’s mailbox confirmed, one of our most popular rentals at Southern Vintage Table is our vintage blue goblets . Two of our clients shared photos from their blue-themed weddings; one was held indoors and the other was an outdoor celebration with the color blue taking center stage.
The first set of photos are from a March wedding at The Barn of Chapel Hill, shared by F8 Photo Studios. We love how our vintage blue glassware “pops” on Rochelle and Chris’ reception tables, designed by Kast Events & Company. And that photo from above of the single table? Wow.
Our second blue wedding was held in Whitsett at the Timberlake Earth Sanctuary, a unique outdoor venue “dedicated to honoring and protecting Mother Earth and all beings.” Emma and Jonathan designed their place settings with our classic vintage blue & white china, blue goblets, and stainless flatware. As you can see from Photography by Kelsey Rae‘s photos, this wedding seemed right at home with its serene surroundings.
Love blue as much as we do? Our vintage offerings may be exactly what you want for your next celebration!
